Murdered soldier’s family presses Army, Ft. Hood for accountability

AUSTIN, Texas — The family of slain U.S. Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen learned this week that among more than a dozen Fort Hood soldiers accused of wrongdoing in her case, none has been removed from the military.

Army Gen. John Michael Murray, commanding general for Army Futures Command, met with the Guillen family Tuesday to discuss the results of the completed administrative homicide investigation, which is separate from the criminal investigation that’s still active.

Attorney Natalie Khawam, who started representing the Guillen family shortly after they reported Vanessa missing on April 22, 2020, praised Murray for his transparency and said he seemed genuine about pursuing justice for the family.

First Lieutenant Spencer Daulisa pays his respects to a memorial of Spc. Vanessa Guillen outside of Fort Hood military base in Killeen on Thursday, July 24, 2020.

However, she and the Guillens told Murray they were still concerned about the lack of accountability for those accused of sexually harassing Vanessa or failing to properly investigate her death.

“It’s unfair to watch perpetrators and wrongdoers continue to sit and exist in the Army system because all you are doing is moving them from one base to another,” Khawam said. “That’s not fixing the problem. That’s just allowing someone to get away in the loopholes of the system.”

Army leaders in late April confirmed for the first time that Guillen was sexually harassed and subjected to retaliation at Fort Hood, as her family had consistently alleged since her disappearance.

Authorities suspect another Fort Hood soldier, Spc. Aaron Robinson, beat Guillen to death with a hammer in an armory room on post the morning of April 22, 2020. Robinson fatally shot himself July 1 as authorities sought to question him, according to Killeen police.

Before Guillen’s remains were discovered at the end of June, her family led protests outside Fort Hood demanding more answers about the search for Vanessa. Guillen’s mother, Gloria, revealed that her daughter had confided to her that multiple soldiers had been sexually harassing her on post.